The Raven and the Black Rose
by StrykerOfTheNight
Summary: Two shinobi fight for the survival of their clan and of their village. They will need each other in order to survive the onslaught. M later on in the story. {Itachi U., Izumi U.}
1. Chapter 1

**So this is my first attempt at a fanfiction so wait to pass final judgements until I have a few chapters out. Itachi is by far my favorite character as I assume he is a favorite of all of you. There is going to be a massacre but it's farther into the future. Itachi is 19. Sasuke is a genin with Team 7. Itachi and Izumi's blossoming love will come in later chapters I promise. I'm not an English teacher so if you spot something I need to fix please comment where and I will change it. I honestly want to hear what you guys think so please help me make this the best fanfic ever.**

An Informant in the Shadows

Stunned. The young Uchiha sat there in his clan's secret meeting place listening to his clansmen call for the overthrow of Konoha. "For to long the leaders of the Leaf have shunned us to the periphery of the village. Soon we will show them who should be leading this village!" Itachi could not believe his father would be ok with something this rash. The young ANBU captain slipped out of the building, he needed to find someplace quiet to sort out his thoughts. He walked home and with one swift motion ended up on the roof.

 _'How could he call for this coup.'_ While life hadn't always been good for his clan here, he knew that if people only talked out their differences senseless bloodshed could be avoided. _'As an member of ANBU I have to report this to Lord Third. He and the council will know what to do.'_

"Itachi? Is that you?" a voice called out to him from the street below. Sitting up and looking below, he was greeted with the sight of Izumi Uchiha.

"What are you doing out here, he asked her inquisitively. Shouldn't you be at the clan meeting?"

"Eh, I honestly hate going to those things. They can be so dour, I really don't relish the idea of fighting against friends," she replied to him quickly taking a place next to him on the rooftop. Itachi couldn't agree more. The more and more radicalized the clan got, the more he worried about the response from Danzo and Lord Third.

"I will see you around soon Izumi." Itachi stood and vanished into the cool night leaving her sitting on a roof. _'He is so different from all the other guys.'_ With a smile on her face she quickly hopped up and began making her way home.

Itachi blew into the Hokage tower like a bolt of lightning. He navigated his way to the top all the while thinking about his family and the path they were choosing. _'I have to stop my father.'_ Soon Itachi stood before the large wooden doors of the Hokage's office. Pushing them open he was greeted by the entire Leaf Council. "Itachi, what is it?" The voice came from Lord Third.

"I am here to report on my clan's dealings. My father and the heads of the clan are openly talking of overthrowing you all and installing my father, Fugaku, as village leader." Itachi told them kneeling before all of them. Not a single word was uttered for what seemed like an eternity. Itachi finally looked up into the faces of the Leaf Council. A fragile looking woman he identified as Lady Koharu spoke, "We have been made aware of the situation, child."

"But...how could you have known?" he replied flustered by the response. This time it was the Third Hokage that delivered his response.

"Itachi you have been nothing but loyal to the Leaf since you were a small boy. We have to ask though. Can we trust you?"

Itachi thought for only a moment. "Lord Hokage, yes of course! I am loyal to my clan but I am loyal to the village above all else." A big smile broke across Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.

"That is great to hear. Then I should tell you that we have an informant inside the Uchiha. Your cousin Shisui. Itachi that fact of the matter is I need you to help us prevent a disaster. I want to seek a peaceful conclusion to this." As the Hokage spoke Itachi began to notice a growing disdain start to emerge on Lord Danzo's face.

For another half hour Itachi, Lord Third, and the rest of the Leaf Council discussed a proper course of action. "Itachi, Lord Homura said. We will be in contact with you soon. Please talk to your father about meeting with the Hokage. No one should be harmed to resolve this situation." With this Itachi stood up and exited the building as quickly as he entered. Back in the cool air of the night, Itachi stared to the sky walking slowly back to the Uchiha compound. The rest of the night passed without incident as he struggled to find sleep, tossing and turning in his bed.

The sound of movement coming from the rest of his house roused Itachi from his bed. Opening his door he moved into the kitchen to find his mother, Mikoto, his father, Fugaku, Sasuke, and to his surprise Izumi all having breakfast. "Come sit down Itachi and eat with us," Izumi said pointing to his place setting. Taking his seat, his father turned to meet his gaze.

"Son, I did not see you at the clan meeting last night."

"I apologize father, I was there for a time before I had to step out and submit my last mission report to the Hokage." He noticed at the mention of the Lord Third his father's eyebrows lowered in anger.

"Did he need anything else from you?" his mother asked.

"He wanted to give me information on my next mission." he replied.

A dark energy began emanating from Fugaku as he spoke. "Son, you must not forget your place. You are an Uchiha first. I am going to need you for the future." Itachi did not need to meet his father's gaze.

"Father, I know where I come from. I am an Uchiha, but I am also a Leaf shinobi. Also Lord Third wants to meet with you whenever you are free." Itachi's father did not like this answer as his Sharingan activated.

You could cut the tension with a knife as both men refused to back down. Finally Mikoto sounded off in anger, "Both of you quit it! We are trying to have a nice meal."

Itachi looked down in disgust stood before leaving the house without uttering a word. Izumi chased him down, "Hey, what the heck was that about?"

He turned quickly looking into her eyes and replied, "I need to find Shisui, if you really want to know walk with me."


	2. Chapter 2

**So I know that my first chapter was rather short but I am hoping to make this one a little longer. I hope you stick with this fanfiction at least through my first six chapters which I hope to have out soon. Please bear with me and thank you again for reading!**

Flight

Itachi needed to get to Shisui quickly. They needed to formulate a cohesive plan to deal with his father and the leaders of the clan. He knew exactly where his cousin would be, out on the training field no doubt. Along the way he had done his best to fill in Izumi as best as he could. As expected her eyes were wide with confusion. "I understand if you don't want to be apart of this, but I have to side with the Hidden Leaf." As he said that he realized how much of a betrayal it was to his family.

"Itachi, I don't blame you at all. I know violence is apart of the shinobi way of life but we should never go against our friends and neighbors." she responded kindly. They were quickly approaching the training grounds as they began to sense a third chakra presence. Coming to a stop at the edge of the training area they spotted Shisui practicing his kunai attacks against a wooden post.

As they approached Shisui shouted, "Hey Itachi, Izumi this is a surprise. What brings the two of you out here? A date?" Izumi's face turned a bright shade of red as she tried to look anywhere but at him. Itachi cracked a small smile at his cousins remark. _'That's Shisui for you, always joking.'_

"We need to talk Shisui. You know what my father and the clan leaders are planning. I have already spoken to the Hokage and he has asked for me to help you." Itachi told him. Shisui's eyes narrowed on Izumi.

"I'm assuming she is with you on this course of action." he replied.

"Well she hasn't left yet has she." Itachi said quickly. Shisui's eyes turned kinder and they began to plan out their course of action in order to get the Uchiha to back down. By the time they had everything set it was almost ten that night. The three shinobi began to walk back to the Uchiha compound. The fall night air was cool as it blew down an empty street. The three friends chatted about missions, old-times as they moved into their side of town. For some reason Itachi was on edge and he couldn't understand why.

Shops lined the streets and no one could be seen as the three moved closer to their homes. Taking a left, the three spotted one lone man standing in the middle of the road. The man was dressed in a green flak jacket, on his shoulder was a green star and inside that star was an Uchiha emblem. His black hair covered his eyes as Itachi's eyes grew wide. It was his father, Fugaku.

"Father what are you doing out here?" Itachi asked as the three ninja spread apart, equal distance from one another.

"You have betrayed the clan son. All three of you. If you stand against the clan then I will do what I must." he replied activating his sharingan. Fear shot across Itachi's face for a split second until he heard Shisui speak.

"No, Fugaku it is the clan that has betrayed the village. As shinobi of the Hidden Leaf we will defend her from any enemies both against foreign-nin and threats from within." With that Itachi, Shisui, and Izumi activated their sharingan preparing for a genjutsu onslaught. Itachi decided to move first.

Not looking into his father's eyes he quickly closed the distance throwing several shuriken before weaving hand signs. " **Multi Phantom Shuriken Jutsu**!" The shurikens multiplied into sixty or seventy as they closed distance. They hit home embedding themselves into Fugaku who struggled to get out of the way. He fell to the ground unmoving as a puff of smoke shot up from where he lay. Instead of his father there lay a log, shurikens covering it.

All three now on the defensive as they scanned the street and the rooftops for their target. Behind him Shisui shouted, "Itachi above you!" Shooting his gaze to the sky he saw his father. Weaving hand signs in return he called out, " **Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!** " A massive fire dragon took shape as it flew directly toward him.

 _'Shit I can't get out of range in time!'_ Itachi prepared himself for a direct hit.

" **Kamui!** " Shisui called out. Almost as quickly as it took shape the fireball was sucked into the Kamui dimension.

Fugaku in anger shouted, "You have disgraced the Uchiha name. **Tsukuyomi**." Now fear shot across all of their faces. Itachi and Shisui both looked down but unknown to them Izumi wasn't so lucky.

 **xxxx**

 _ **Inside Tsukuyomi**_

 __ _'Where…..where am I?' Izumi thought. Quickly she realized she was tied to a post on some sort of field._

 _'Hello?' she called into the void._

 _'I'm sorry that my son has caught you up in his treachery,' a low voice said stepping into her view. It was Fugaku in his hand was a long blade._

 _'Where are we?' she asked, her voice quivering._

 _'This is Tsukuyomi. A place where I control time and space.' he told her uttering no emotion at all._

' _This is just a genjutsu.' she said closing her eyes as tight as she could._

' _You can tell yourself it's just a genjutsu. It will do you little good." as he spoke he lowered the sword thrusting it into her gut. She screamed as loud as she could._

' _I will break your spirit and then I will follow suit with Itachi and Shisui. Only seventy-one hours fifty-nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds to go.' Fugaku remarked coldly._

 _Tears streaming down her face she cried out, 'ITACHI HELP!'_

 **xxxx**

 **Back in Reality**

"Shisui we have to move! Izumi won't last long inside my fathers Tsukuyomi!" Itachi cried.

"I know! Grab her and run we will flee to the Hokage and tell him what has happened." Shisui said in response. As they prepared to run, they noticed Fugaku collapse in a heap on the ground. As he did Izumi fell, Itachi moved and grabbed ahold of her. Looking down at his father, Itachi then noticed the kunai sticking out of the back of his fathers neck.

"That is enough Itachi, Shisui." a voice called out from the darkness behind his father's body. Out of nothing Danzo appeared. "You have served the Hokage well, now we are here to relieve you." They began to notice that Danzo was not alone. Root agents dropped from the buildings around them. Soon enough they were surrounded by no less than twenty ninja.

"What the hell are you doing here Danzo," Shisui asked coldly.

"Now, is that anyway to talk to your new Hokage?" he retorted laughing.

"What do you mean new Hokage?" Itachi's eyes growing wide in shock.

"It seems that Lord Third has been assassinated by the Uchiha." he said a smile cracking across his bandaged face.

"Let me guess, Shisui called out. You are here to put down the "insurrection" by any means necessary?"

"You really always were a bright one weren't you Shisui." Danzo said. "Kill them." The Root agents moved in quickly to finish the group. They weren't quick enough as Shisui again used his Kamui to transport the group to the Kamui Dimension.

With a sigh of relief Shisui sat down. "We are safe for now."

"We need get out of Fire Country." Itachi said rubbing his eyes. Looking down at Izumi who lay there unconscious, he couldn't help but feel totally responsible for the torture she endured at the hands of his father. ' _I am so sorry Izumi._ '

Hours passed as Itachi sat trying to rest his eyes. Shisui was asleep and Izumi had still not woken up from her almost comatose state. Itachi had sat by her side feeling awful for everything just holding her hand.

Several hours later Shisui finally opened his eyes feeling much better. He had forgotten where they were until he had seen their surroundings. The Kamui dimension was nothing but rectangular platforms of what seemed to be concrete. Sitting up he looked around, he saw Itachi sitting next to Izumi with her hand in his. His eyes were closed and could tell they both were resting.

Moving to his pack, he shuffled things around inside until he pulled a map of the nations out. He needed to think of a good place for them to hide out once they were well enough to leave this world. Suna was an option, Gaara was the new Kazekage and was a friend of Sasuke's teammate Naruto. We could assume he might be understanding of our plight especially if ninja like Naruto, and Kakashi stand against Danzo. Another good choice is Amegakure. This place was sort of leaderless at the moment or if there was a leader they had not made themselves known. The other hidden villages and their kage would probably stand by Danzo at least for now.

Looking back to his sleeping friends, he smiled and thought to himself, _'I'll let Itachi sleep for a little while longer. They both need to be at full strength for this journey.'_


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok guys so this is chapter three. I have been meaning to add more to each of my beginning chapters but did not get to my estimated number. Thank you again to all that have read it. Please review. I want to know what you guys think so far. It is taking a while to get this ship under way. I am basically writing all of Izumi's character from scratch because we get so little of her in Itachi's arc so please bear with me. If you have ideas please let me know and I will try to incorporate them into the story.**

 **I do not own Naruto or any of Masashi Kishimoto's work.**

 **Hiding in the Rain**

"Itachi, I think we should try to head to Amekugature." Shisui commented shifting his gaze to his friend still sitting beside Izumi. Shisui worried about his friends mental state after seeing his father of all people torture someone he obviously cared deeply about.

"I agree, I think we should be able to disappear relatively easily there." he replied lifting his eyes to meet his cousins. The two men began to task of preparing their bags for the jump back to their reality. Itachi picked Izumi up in his arms holding her close to his chest before looking to Shisui giving him a nod. With one word the trio squirlled into nothing.

As if nothing had ever happened the three ninja rematerialized into existence. "Where are we?" Itachi whispered gazing around the forest.

"We should be on the edge of Fire Country territory. If we keep heading west through these trees we should cross into territory controlled by the Village Hidden in the Rain." the younger Uchiha responded. With they began their journey to find a place of sanctuary. Hours seem to pass as Itachi was once again alone with his thoughts. Gazing down to Izumi he thought, _'Please, please wake up. I am so sorry.'_ He continued to think about all the time she would spend with him just hanging out. She always attempted to cheer him on, and be there for him. Itachi had never really bothered with girls when he was younger. They were confusing, and really troublesome. He knew his Father would not approve while he still needed to improve his skills, but now that he was a young man away from his now distant feeling life something felt different. He realized how much he cared for the girl in his arms.

Shisui's voice brought him back to reality. "Hey, Itachi we need to ditch our Leaf gear before we cross into Rain territory."

"Yeah, I agree," he responded as they came to a halt. Removing all identifying leaf village garb they buried it deep under a tree. Not stopping any longer than necessary they got back on the road to their destination.

Soon the skies darkened and a steady rain began to fall. The rain had a chilling effect as they moved across the plains of Rain country. As they passed close to a farming hamlet, the small woman that Itachi had carried for miles and across a dimension began to stir. Slowly her eyes began to open. "Itachi…."she said almost whispering.

"It's going to be ok Izumi. You are safe now." Itachi said looking into her big onyx eyes a smile crossing his face. He needed to stay strong to protect the ones who he cared for. He promised himself that they would return to Konoha and when they did, he would kill Danzo. He looked back to Izumi and in a very soft caring tone told her, "Please rest we will be there soon."

The rest of the journey was relatively quiet with each ninja thinking deeply about their situation and what they needed to do in order to survive. Suddenly Shisui came to a halt. "We've got company." he shouted. Out of nowhere three figures appeared on the road in front of them.

"What is your business here in Rain Country?" a man with spiky orange hair demanded. The first thing Itachi noticed about these three individuals was their matching cloaks. Black with a red cloud, odd he thought to himself.

"We seek shelter from a group that has taken our home from us." Shisui said firmly.

"Very well follow us," the orange haired man said gesturing us to follow. Without another option Shisui and Itachi followed the unnamed man. He led them to the largest tower in a city made of iron.

"Welcome to our home." Before them sat a sitting area that could fit upward of forty people comfortably. "My name is Yahiko, this is Nagato," the young man he pointed to looked at us nervously. Itachi noticed immediately a pair of Rinnegan staring back at him. The massive structure they were currently inside of was actually quite homely. Before Yahiko could finish the young woman with them spoke.

"I am Konan, it is very nice to meet you all. I am very interested in hearing your story." Yahiko motioned to a sitting area, situated in the center of what could only be described as a living room.

"Before we tell you our story, is there somewhere I can allow her to continue her rest?" Itachi could feel how cold Izumi had gotten during their trek through the rainstorm.

Konan was the first to reply, "Yes, if you go up the stairs you will find a door immediately to your left. That will be a spare bedding area." Itachi nodded and thanked her for the help and started over still carrying Izumi.

Carefully making his way up the stairs he opened the door, before him lay a large bed with matching wooden dressers and a nightstand. He chuckled to himself at the sight of such a nice bedroom in a metallic place like this. Throwing back the sheets he managed to get Izumi out of her wet clothing doing his utmost to hold back the blush he could feel coming. He thanked Kami that she was not awake. _'I will gladly face her full wrath when she is better than have her suffer sickness and other ailments.'_ Covering her with the mass of sheets, he looked at the bundle that was Izumi and could feel a warmness fill him.

He turned to head for the door when a cold hand grabbed his arm. Izumi was waking, "Please….don't leave. I...I don't want to be alone." she whimpered in between her non stop shaking.

Grabbing hold firmly of her hand and looking deep into her eyes he told her, "It's ok Izumi. I will be right down stairs. I need to talk to Shisui and our hosts."

"Your father…..he will find….me." she said fear evident in her voice.

"Izumi, Izumi it's going to be alright," he said. "My father can't hurt you anymore. He is dead." Her eyes grew wide for just a moment before she seemed to calm. Without thinking he crawled up onto the bed next to her. She instinctively curled up next to him laying her head on his chest.

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this," Itachi said his demeanor shifting to one full of sorrow. She said nothing in reply only squeezing him tightly. This simple action brightened his whole outlook. He new that she would be alright eventually. Soon he heard her breathing even out and get deeper as she began to drift off to sleep. He didn't want to leave her but he knew that he wanted to talk with Shisui and his hosts.

After waiting fifteen extra minutes he lifted her limp arm off of him and slid out from under her being extra careful not to wake her. He opened and closed the door with care and made his way down stairs. Itachi found everyone still gathered around eating and conversing. Shisui saw him approach and called out to him. "Itachi! What took you so long?"

"Sorry, I stay with her until she was comfortable and asleep. My father really did a number on her." he replied taking an open seat next to the man he recognized as Nagato. Yahiko brought over a bowl of hot soup before asking.

"So Itachi, Shisui please tell us what has brought you to our humble city, and nation?"

"Well, it's a long story." Shisui said looking up from his bowl.

Shrugging his shoulders Yahiko smiled and said, "We have all the time in the world. We want to hear everything." So Itachi and Shisui began their harrowing tale. Telling them of the political upheaval in the clan and how it spiraled out of control with both of them spying on their own clan. How Itachi's father, Fugaku, found out and their subsequent fight in the street. Finishing with them watching Danzo and his Root agents kill Fugaku and pin the Third Hokage's assassination on the Uchiha as a means to eliminate everyone he deemed an enemy of the leaf.

Both Shisui, and Itachi both noticed a crowd of other ninja and civilians alike who must live somewhere in the tower gather to listen to their tale. With eyes wide, listening intently Nagato was the first to speak once they had finished. "That is awful!"

"It is and what is worse is we are unsure how the rest of the village is taking this. We hid for roughly a day before we ventured out to Amegakure." Itachi told them exhaustion very prevalent on his face. He realized quickly that he had not gotten a good night's rest since before the attack.

Shisui turned to face Itachi, "They are apart of a group called the Akatsuchi, basically they fight to bring about change and peace to the ninja world. They said we could stay here for however long as we need to. As long as we help out every so often with missions and such."

Itachi nodded, "Ok, that sounds easy enough." Turning to Yahiko he thanked him profusely.

Yahiko stood and proposed a toast and with a big smile he yelled, "To new friends and bringing peace to the world!" After some toasts and meeting new people Itachi decided it was time to turn in for the night. He and Shisui were shown to bedding areas upstairs in the tower. Itachi politely declined and began to make his way back to the room he had left Izumi in.

"Where do you think you are going?" Shisui asked with a knowing grin.

"I am going to stay with Izumi. She will want to see a familiar face when when she wakes up." he told him chuckling at his friends insinuation.

A caring look crossed Shisui's face as he asked, "You really like her don't you?"

Stopping at her door he closed his eyes and responded, "All of this is new to me. Father made both Sasuke and I focus on training for the eventual coup that I never was able to grasp my feelings and truly understand what they mean."

Smiling Shisui added one more piece of advice before closing the door to his own room. He said, "She really likes you, take care of each other you will need one another and we need to work as a team in order to survive. Goodnight Itachi."

Itachi entered the bedroom and noticed that nothing had changed. Izumi was still asleep under a mass of sheets and sleeping soundly. Walking over to the empty side of the bed he stripped down until he was dressed in only his pants and crawled under the sheets. It felt amazing to finally stretch out and relax. He had been worried that with everything going through his head he wouldn't be able to get to sleep quickly, but not five minutes after his head hit the pillow he was fast asleep.

Itachi was awoken to early the next morning by a yelp next to him. His eyes shot open and he jumped out of bed scanning the room for an intruder. Not seeing any the young ninja turned and saw Izumi wide awake, her face bright red. "I...Itachi you surprised me." she said looking anywhere but at him.

"Giving her an understanding grin he replied, "Sorry Izumi, I didn't mean to surprise you. I wanted to make sure you saw a familiar face when you actually woke up. You've been out of it for roughly two days now."

Her onyx eyes widened as she said, "No way...two whole days?!" All he could do was nod as he crawled back up on the bed.

"Do you want to talk about what happened to you?" he asked trying to help. Her expression grew sad as she spoke.

"Um….yeah if you wouldn't mind. I just….my mind is having a tough time. Why did your dad torture me?" Itachi could hear the sadness in her voice and looked to see tears falling from her beautiful eyes.

"Izumi, I know I have apologized profusely before but I want to say again how sorry I am that you got hurt because of me and Shisui." he said in reply lowering his eyes into his lap. "He did what he did to you to hurt me."

"Itachi, where are we and why are we here?" her voice still trembling.

"We are in the Amegakure. We are the guests of the Akatsuchi. We are here because Danzo has overthrown the leadership of the Hidden Leaf and blamed it on the Uchiha. His goal was to kill off the Uchiha as a clan." his voice losing all emotion.

This sent her over the edge. She began to sob uncontrollably, here head in her hands. Itachi moved quickly to her wrapping himself around her. He held her to his chest, not knowing what to say. Thinking of both of their families he understood her sadness and anger. An hour past before she stopped crying. She was tired, now all she wanted to do was close her eyes and forget.

They laid down, she closed her eyes and laid down her head across his chest. All she could think in that moment was how warm Itachi's embrace had been, and how she never wanted to leave it. They laid there for almost two hours before they both stirred again.

Not saying a word they both got dressed, standing before the door they looked at one another. Itachi gave Izumi a warm smile, trying to lift her spirits before they faced the world. Before Itachi had a chance to turn to open the door Izumi shot up on her toes planting a kiss on Itachi's lips. Shock was the first reaction, followed by wanting nothing more than to continue in this moment forever. Pulling away he smiled, squeezing her hand and pulled her out into the main structure of the tower.

 **Well that will conclude Chapter 3. Stuff is moving along nicely but things are going to get tough. Like I said I'm having to create Izumi as a character so forgive me if this isn't how you saw her. All ideas you have help so favorite and follow and please leave comments. I am about to start teaching so I will try to stay current and have chapter four out either this coming week or the following weekend.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I hope you all enjoyed Chapter 3 of The Raven and the Black Rose. So I am getting started earlier than I thought so hopefully I can have this next chapter up by Friday. I will be off work until then so fingers crossed. As always please Favorite, Follow, and Review it. I want y'alls feedback.**

 **I do not own Naruto.**

 **Adjusting**

The ninja and kunoichi walked down into the main meeting area to see people eating and starting their day. Itachi and Izumi moved through the lines grabbing something to eat before coming to a halt at an empty four person table in the middle of the dining facility. Itachi began to fill her in on what he had spoken about with their hosts the night previous. Explaining that they would need to help their hosts provide food, money, and other things to contribute and continue to stay here.

No sooner that he had finished speaking then Yahiko and Nagato walked over. "So glad to know our third guest is still among the land of the living." Yahiko said with a big smile.

"Returning his kind smile she quickly replied, "Thank you so much for your hospitality, we promise to help out in any way that we can."

"I have actually come to the right people then. I need someone to join Nagato here on a supply run to a neighboring village. Bandits have taken the town and have stopped all supplies from leaving."

Itachi stood and volunteered for the expedition wholeheartedly. He failed once to protect his family and clan. He would not fail again. After agreeing on a time to depart the two rain ninja left the two leaf ninja to their breakfast. Looking into Izumi's eyes he squeezed her hand saying, "I'll be back before tonight." All she gave him was a smile and a quick nod before he stood and departed for the door.

He met Nagato outside the tower and was shocked to find only him standing there. "So are we waiting on the rest of the team?"

"No, it is going to be just you and I today." He said.

An uneasy confusion crossed his normally stoic face as he responded, "How many bandits are we talking about?" Reassuring his new companion, Nagato gave him assurances that they could handle the amount of enemy nin that would be there. So thus, began their trip to a small village that was only ten or so miles outside of the city.

Arriving just before noon, they found roughly twenty or so enemy scoured across the village. It was decided that Itachi would take the front of the village while Nagato would attack from the rear. Itachi then observed from his position in front of the village bandits savagely beating several men while others looked on from a cage attached to a home.

Itachi knew he had to move quickly. Activating his Sharingan he pushed up attacking the three men beating another. With his katana drawn he appeared like a lightning bolt next to the first man cutting him down with ease. This however gave time for the other two to jump back. His next attack was with kunai, and shuriken. Throwing as many as he could he called out, " **Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!** " Fire engulfed the blades that flew toward the two men. Not being able to jump out in time they hit their targets as their screams alerted the rest of the village.

Now more and more men began to run into the streets trying to figure out what had happened. From across the small village a massive burst of air launched five men skyward as Nagato used his Almighty Push.

Itachi scanned the crowd. He finished with thirteen men in front of him. He wanted to test his genjutsu ability as the first two attacked. As they thrust their pikes forward they pushed through the image of Itachi and into each other. The two men slumped to the side as the visage of Itachi vanished. The remaining men looked to Itachi who stood back another five feet. Without another word all eleven men turned their weapons on one another.

Itachi stood there confused by the sight. Until he heard a voice from behind him. "You really needed my help on this one." He turned to see his smartass of a cousin standing before him bleeding from his eyes. Immediately he rushed over to assist him.

"Shisui, you really shouldn't overuse your eyes. You know the ultimate price one pays for over using the Mangekyo Sharingan." he said scolding his cousin. They were soon joined by Nagato who smiling relayed that the village had been secured and the villagers freed.

"So what do we get for our troubles?" Shisui asked pointing to his eyes smirking.

"Well the villagers are poor so we will not be paid for it but they will give us a portion of their crops as a thank you." Taking his answer for what it was, the group took off back toward the tower. Soon they arrived back in the dreary city and were welcomed back to the tower by an ecstatic crowd. Everyone seemed to come out to congratulate them on a mission accomplished.

After getting Shisui to a doctor he went up to the room he had shared with Izumi to find it empty. He stripped down to his boxers neatly laying out his close to dry, before he crawled into bed. Time to think, that's what Itachi needed. Time to try and figure out what he needed to do to get back home. Time to try and see if his brother and Team Kakashi were still out there. One thing he knew for sure was that Kakashi would not give Sasuke or Naruto over to Danzo's Root agents without a fight.

He was lost in thought that he didn't even hear the door open as Izumi entered. She had helped out in the hospital today and was off for an hour before she had to be back. She spent most of the day healing broken bones and other wounds that ninja would suffer in the line of duty. With his back to her, the only thing that gave him an idea someone was there was feeling her climb onto the bed. Turning over he met her gaze, "Hey. Sorry to wake you." she replied sheepishly.

"You're alright, I was just thinking about things." He told her reassuringly.

"Anything you want to talk about?" she responded curiously.

"Well you know that my brother was out on a mission with Kakashi and Team 7 in Suna when Danzo attacked. I was just hoping really that Kakashi is keeping Sasuke and Naruto safe from our enemies. Also, I was just trying to find a way to get us back into the village." He told her honestly looking at the ceiling as if searching for the answer up there.

"Honestly Itachi whatever you decide we should do. You know Shisui and I will follow you anywhere." she said in return.

"But why? All you have gotten from following me is tortured, Shisui is over using his eyes. Plus the clan…." he dared not finish his statement. She looked at him, he was hurting deep down. She knew that he was shouldering all of the blame for what happened.

"Itachi that's not fair. You can't go around and blame yourself for everything, every time something goes wrong!" Tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "I wanted to join you to save my family from their fate but neither of us were strong enough to stop what has happened. Share some of this burden you are carrying. I want to help you, to stand by your side and face this daunting challenge together." Finishing her speech, tears were freely falling from her face. Itachi was quick as he closed the distance between them grasping her face in his hands.

As their lips met it was as if someone lit a spark that he hadn't known was even there. Lifting her up and onto the bed, he continued the barrage of kisses. Izumi moved her hands over his battle worn physic, running her hands over scars that littered his chest and back. He moved swiftly taking her shirt off of exposing a toned body underneath. He pulled back for just a moment to admire her before being pulled back in. The moved as one as clothes began to disappear, soon they lay naked, Izumi wrapping her legs around his back.

She grinded her hips against his rock-hard member. She **needed** him in her now. "Itachi…..please," she begged ever so quietly into his ear. This was all the motivation he needed, he then repositioned himself along her slit. Pushing against one another Itachi eased his way inside of her a little at a time. Izumi gritted her teeth at first due to a sharp pain, but soon this pain turned to utter bliss as she lost herself to her pleasure. She began to grind her hips against his member crying out his name.

In that moment the pressure that had built up was to much as Izumi climaxed. Digging her nails into his back, her body locked around his as the sight and feeling of her clamping down around his member sent him over the edge. Several minutes passed as the two lay there collecting themselves and reveling in the wonderful afterglow. She gently lifted her head over to Itachi's and placed a single kiss on his lips before laying her head across his chest. They continued to lay there until a knock at the door broke the spell over them.

"Itachi? Izumi? Are you guys in there?" a voice Itachi recognized as Shisui's called from behind the door.

Scrambling to get clothes on he called back to him, "Yeah, yeah just give me a minute." After a few minutes he opened the door and was greeted by Shisui who had along with him Konan and Yahiko.

"We have received word from Suna. Kakashi and his team are taking refuge there under the protection of Gaara the Kazekage. Also word is spreading throughout the great nations that Danzo has lost the great families such as the Hyuga, Nara, and Akimichi. Rebellion is being talked about."

Itachi didn't know what to say. "Oh…..my god. This is perfect. Let's make sure to keep constant on these rumors and stories. I want to join our friends eventually." Hope had been restored to him, his spirits soared as he stood there with the people he loved.

They walked down stairs where Nagato met them. "Sorry to interrupt you, but we have a situation. A Hidden Mist Ninja is attacking several villages south of the city. He has been identified as Kisame Hoshigaki."

Before Itachi could speak Shisui told everyone, "Don't worry about sending anybody. We three will go take care of him. One enemy ninja shouldn't to difficult." With no room to disagree the quickly agreed and the three Uchiha exited the tower.

The journey south of the city was a quiet one as not a single word was spoken. Itachi and Izumi seemed to be lost in thought. Bringing up the rear Shisui could only laugh at the two of them. "What's so funny, Shisui?" Izumi called out.

"Nothing really, just laughing at you two. You guys make a cute couple." he retorted.

Izumi's face was bright red. _'Did he hear us earlier?'_ she questioned. She wished Itachi and her had gotten a chance to talk about what they both wanted before they had to go on this mission. Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind right now she focused on the mission.

The weather had cleared for the most part upon their exiting of the city, but as they approached the village from the north, they encountered a dense fog. Everyone tensed up as they prepared for an attack from any angle. _'What the hell.'_ Itachi thought.

Izumi spoke, "We are being watched…." They touched down in the center of the village, and it was like a scene out of hell itself. Buildings burning, dead bodies littering the streets, people screaming in all directions.

A voice called out from the thick fog, "Well what do we have here. It looks like we have three lambs to the slaughter." In an instant all three ninja had activated their sharingan, preparing for the impending assault.

"Ohhhhh I see, we have three Uchiha here to fight us. Last I heard your clan was wiped out for a coup. This is going to be fun." A shadow appeared closing the distance in the fog. As he approached it was clear this was the ninja known as Kisame Hoshigaki, and his blade Sharkskin.

"Well let's not waste anymore time. What do you say Zabuza would you mind helping me out with his one?" Kisame said smiling with his toothy grin. All three Uchiha froze as a killing presence suddenly appeared directly behind them.

 **Well Chapter 4 is done. I apologize for the sex scene. It wasn't the best I know. Please understand this is my first attempt at this stuff. I will go back an edit it all eventually. I like where Itachi and Izumi's relationship is at the moment. They really like or love one another. Itachi finally able to act on his emotions after freeing himself from his clans grasp. I am thinking about adding in another character so Shisui can have a love interest. Unless you guys don't think so. Please let me know what you guys think, and as always favorite, follow, and review. Chapter 5 I will probably begin tomorrow or later tonight.**


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